I Owe You One
by Morbidity
Summary: There are simply not enough Cyborg 009 fics, so this is my contribution. This is a 003009 fic that occurs directly after the episode about 006's restaurant. NOT A ONE SHOT!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Cyborg 009.

Author's Note: I don't know much about Cyborg 009, but I've been watching the show lately and on a desperate hunt for 003 and 009 fics I found that there was only one fic in the Cyborg 009 department.  It's grown to 10 but I wanted to contribute to the Cyborg fics.  I know absolutely nothing about Cyborg 009 because I've only seen the show like a couple times but anyway, this takes place directly after the episode about 006's struggling restaurant.  

            He dragged the large wooden box through the back alley, stopping to breath before straightening his back and tossing the accursed object into the dumpster.  He had used up his last iota of strength ages ago, and as soon as he had released the box from his grasp, he slouched over, hardly able to stand by himself.  After running around all day for 006, this was like torture.  The thing that was keeping him going barely, was the thought of what it would feel like to crumple into his nice comfortable bed after a long day of work.  At this rate, he'd probably fall asleep before he even landed on the bed.  His body felt worn already and he doubted that once he was asleep he would be able to wake for days, or maybe even weeks.  He put his hands on his knees to keep himself from falling over, and his breath became more labored and his sight was starting to fog.  His knees became weeks and it became harder than usual to stand.  He started to hear the tap-tap of shoes skimming the pavement somewhere near, but he could hardly focus.  Unable to keep himself up any longer, he fell against the brick of an alley building.  His joints were locked and his knees felt like warm jello.  Suddenly he felt a hand on his back and a presence next to him.

            "Oh dear, 009!  009 are you ok?" he heard the soft voice of 003 calling to him.  He started to regain his sight and looked up to her with glazed eyes.

            "I . . . I . . .," he tried to form the words, "I guess, I guess I got a little lightheaded there," he forced, managing to stand up despite the struggle it took.  He wavered a bit, and leaned against the wall for support.  His eyes shot open when he felt 003 position herself underneath his arm, holding him up, "Oh dear," she said, "You definitely won't be able to get far by yourself!"

            He held out his hand in protest and closed his eyes trying to focus, "I-it's ok, I can walk."

            "Don't be silly!" she replied, "You can hardly stand, just hold onto me and I'll help you inside."

            He sighed but finally consented and let her support some of his weight.  Together, they started to slowly make their way back to the restaurant.  It was a bit of a struggle since his large frame weighed so much more than her petite one, but as they went on, he regained more and more of his strength.  By the time they reached the restaurant, he was pretty much back to himself.  They trudged in through the back door and it didn't take long for 009 to locate a seat and plant himself in it.  He sat, slouched over, holding his chest.  Resting like that, it didn't take long for his breathing to return to normal but he could hardly keep himself awake.

            To his surprise, when he had been concentrating on steadying his breathing, 003 had made him a pot of tea, "Here," she said, bringing him a mug full of the steaming liquid, "It will make you feel better," she added, taking a seat next to him in the cramped little kitchen.  

            "Thank you," he said after taking a small swig of the tea.  She was right though, it had made him feel better, not substantially of course, but it had helped, "Thank you for everything, for helping me out there in the alley . . . I was just so tired from running around all day, I guess it just caught up to me."

            She looked down at her hands and smiled slightly, "Oh, it was no problem really, I couldn't have just left you out there could I?  It's the least I could do."  

            Silence filled the kitchen and she wondered what he was thinking, she looked up to him only to see that he looked dreadfully ragged in the pale kitchen light.  He had dark circles under his eyes and his hair was strewn all in his face.  He still looked awfully handsome, she noticed, looking down and blushing at her thoughts.  But more importantly, it was imperative that she get him to sleep before he passed out right there in the kitchen.

            "Well," she sighed, "We should really get you into bed, you look dreadfully tired."  

            They both went to stand and as she turned away, he put his hand on her arm, "I would like that," he said, smiling.  

            If it was possible, she fancied her face had turned redder than it ever had.  She smiled back and lowered her eyes to the floor, fidgeting with her hands, feeling slightly uncomfortable, but not in a bad way.  As they walked to the apartment above the restaurant, she couldn't help but wonder why this man always had the ability to make her act like a little schoolgirl with a first crush.  When they reached his door he turned back to her and smiled, "Thanks again," he whispered.  

            She smiled back courteously and turned to leave before being stopped by his words, "You really did look beautiful today."

            When she looked back, the hall was empty.  She smiled, thinking he was probably already asleep.  Walking down the hallway to her room, she wondered what tomorrow would bring.  

To Be Continued . . . 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Cyborg 009

Author's Note: Wow, I got a lot of positive feedback on this story so first I'd like to thank my reviewers!  You guys are great and thank you so much for the support.  I wasn't going to continue writing this for a bit but you've all inspired me to keep going.  And to Aejavu – the best of luck on your story!  

            The dull morning light seeped through the curtains, spread over the room slowly and stopped to mingle on the young girl's face.  The light tugging at her eyelids was too irritating to ignore and after about a minute of tossing and turning, trying to get out of its reach, the sun still found her.  Despite protests from her tired body, she pulled herself from bed and trudged over to the window that looked out onto the back alleyway.  The sun was just rising and the light was dull and grey.  Even as she watched, it spread over everything in sight and slowly became brighter and brighter as the morning sun peeked up over the horizon.  She moaned figuring it was only about six o'clock, knowing that no one else would be up for AT LEAST another hour.  Even more 009, who would probably sleep for a whole other day.  He was so exhausted last night and she hoped he was ok, but she didn't want to wake him by going in and checking on him so, sighing, she made her way down the hallway, working her way ever quietly down the stairs and into the kitchen.  She was still in her bedclothes but she figured she didn't have to change for at least another half hour and she wanted some tea.  Fixing everything, she sat sipping her tea; taking in the warmth it offered her tired body.  

            Sighing half happily she thought about the night before.  She could feel a warm blush spread over her cheeks.  That seemed to happen whenever she thought about 009 and she wondered what that meant.  Surely she couldn't have feelings for him?  They were both only cyborgs.  That's all, nothing more, she told herself, trying maybe too hard to believe it.  Not wanting to think about it any longer, she rose and trudged back up the stairs struggling to forget her growing thoughts of 009.  

            When she reached her room, she slid the door closed behind her and leaned back against it, releasing the breath from her body.  She rubbed her eyes, and figured she should probably get dressed and pack her things to return to Professor Kazumi's house.  She took out her clothes and slipped into them quickly.  When she was finished her eyes drifted to the Chinese dress in the corner.  She found herself walking towards it.  Reaching out, she touched it; letting her fingers run over the silk she blushed, thinking of 009's comment.  Quickly, she took the dress off the hanger and folded it, pressing it into her backpack with her other items.  Closing it, she picked it up and to her delight found that it wasn't heavy at all and would be anything but a burden to carry all the way home.  

            Now that she had her things, she slung the backpack over her shoulder and made her way downstairs, finding, to her surprise, that 006 and 007 were already up and not so surprisingly, already arguing.  About what, she didn't really know, or care for that matter, she was quite used to it.  They didn't notice her come down the stairs so tiptoed to a chair and sat, watching this scene unfold before her.  006 and 007 were quite the characters and watching them squabble always brought a smile to her face, not to mention let her forget her troubles (or 009).  Truth be told, she couldn't wait to leave the restaurant and be able to go home, if even for a bit.  She was looking forward to the walk home and being able to be out in the brisk morning air.  As much as she didn't want to admit it, she was so glad that 007 was coming with her and 009.  In fact, for the first time she was happy that 007 was going to be around.  007 was her friend, but he could get a little frisky and his advances were annoying but she didn't think she could be alone with 009 without gnawing her own fingers off.  006's screams interrupted her thoughts and she figured she better break things up before someone ended up killed.

            "Whose kitchen is this anyway?!" 006 hollered, hitting 007's hands back away from the stove with a spatula.  007 reared back and grabbed his hand and started sucking on his fingers.

            "Excuse me but THAT HURT!" 007's brows were furrowed as he glared in contempt at the stout man standing next to him; "I should knock you off your little stool for that you short, fat, obnoxious jerk!" 

            003 took this moment to butt in, 006 was staring at 007 like he was going to murder him until he came back alive and then murder him again, "Now boys," she started, getting in between them, "What is going on here exactly . . .?" 

            007 and 006 smiled up at her and 006 hid his spatula behind his back that a second ago he was about to use to decapitate 007, "Oh!  003, I didn't see you there . . . we were just making breakfast, isn't that right 007?"

            003 switched her skeptical gaze to 007, she found he was grinning and nodding like a madman.  She smiled inwardly at the two and crossed her arms, "That's what I thought.  Now, what's for breakfast . . .?"

            006 eyed 007 and turned back to his food that was still cooking on the stove, "I'll let 007 answer that," he mumbled from where he was chopping up some strawberries.

            007 straightened his back proudly and shifted his gaze from the contempt 006 to the awaiting 003, "Well that's simple!  For breakfast, we're having French toast!"

            "WHAT?!" 006's roar was probably heard in the arctic, "I told you were having Belgium waffles!" he bellowed, his spatula poised in the air for another attack from anyone who disagreed.  

            003 shook her head and walked away from the pair, giving up, "I can't wait to get home!" she said, not intending for it to be loud enough for the both of them to take notice of but they both heard it despite their ever growing argument.  

            Much to all of their surprise, a second later, 009 appeared at the bottom of the stairs fully dressed and breathing heavily, he stopped a second to take in the scene before him before scowling slightly, "_What_ is going on down here?  I thought we were being attacked!" 

            006 and 007 both turned to him, smiling nervously.  They both poked and prodded each other to talk, not wanting to have to explain things to a tired, irritated 009.  Finally, 007 stepped forward a bit, wringing his hands together, sweating horribly, "Nothing's going on, we were just making breakfast that's all."

            009 shot them both a skeptical/annoyed look and took a seat next to 003 at the table, too tired to deal with either of them.  Leaning back in his chair he yawned and rubbed his tired eyes.  He looked to 003 like he was about to collapse into sleep.  She looked down into her tea, not able to stop thinking about how cute he looked when he yawned.  She didn't really have to though because a second later his smooth, tired voice interrupted her, "Can you believe those two?" he asked her, leaning towards her a bit, making sure she could hear him, not wanting to exhort himself any more than he had too.

            She giggled and looked down to her hands in her lap, "They really are quite the characters . . . they didn't wake you did they?" she said, her eyes full of worry as they looked up to him.  She would feel awful if after he had been through all that last night he had been woken by 006 and 007's antics.  

            He leaned back a little and shook his head, "No I've been up for a little while.  I was just so worried when I heard all that racket," he paused when he noticed her backpack sitting on the table, "We should all get going to the Professor's soon, eh 007?"

            007 head peaked out from the mess that   an d 006 were creating, "Oh, ya about that," he separated himself from 006 and walked over to the table, "I hope you two don't mind but I'm going to stay here with 006 and help him with preparations for the day."

            003's head shot up and her eyes clearly displayed her distress, "So that means . . ." 

            "You and 009 are going to have to walk home without me," 007 finished for her.

            She sat straight up in her chair and wrung her hands in her lap, "Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" she half asked, half pleaded.

            "I would like to 003, but there's too much work here to be done and 006 can't finish it all himself and expect the restaurant to be ready in time for opening," as he finished, he returned back to where 006 had been chopping, mixing and frappe-ing. 

            003 sat back in her chair, trying to think of something, "Oh well, if there's so much work to be done I'll just stay here with you two as well-."

            They both turned and looked at her, 006 the first to speak, "Don't be silly 003, you were just saying just minutes ago how much you want to get home!  009 will take great care of you, won't you 009?"

            003 was afraid to look back to 009 but she plastered a fake smile on her face and turned back to him, "Of course I will," he said smiling, "I wouldn't let anything happen to her."

            She grimaced and looked down at her tea once again.  This was going to be an interesting walk home.

To Be Continued . . .


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Cyborg 009

Author's Note: Once again, thanks so much everyone for the reviews.  Oh, and if you haven't seen the restaurant episode, it is sort of hard to figure out what is going on at times.  Primarily, with the Chinese dress.  See in the episode, 006 has her wear this risqué Chinese dress and she starts to yell at him and 007 for being "male chauvinist pigs" and 009 says something like "I wouldn't be mad at them, we like you" and then accelerates and leaves to do something for 006.  That clears up some of the confusion I guess and I don't really have much more to say in this A/N so, enjoy.

            His mind drifted as the two of them made their way through the streets.  Shoving his hands into his pockets, he wondered why she had been so reluctant to walk alone with him.  As they made conversation, her shoulder sometimes coming into contact with his upper arm as she swayed while she walked, he knew the answer.  He wondered why he had been so dim as to not realize how much of a struggle it was to be alone with her and not make a fool of himself.  Looking away from her, he pretended to study the building they were walking by.  She was so beautiful and kind and he just couldn't help turning into complete mush whenever she was around.  Staring down at the ground in contempt, he thought of how he could never have someone like her, he didn't deserve someone like her.  He was just a shell of a person, but a memory of what he once was so many years ago.  He was a Cyborg now, and love was no longer part of his life, but a remembrance from so long ago.

            She walked on, despite the nerve-wracking silence that had grown on them.  Looking up at the sky, she admired the rich azure color that painted the atmosphere above them.  It was a beautiful day and there was a cool breeze that blew through her hair, brushing against the bare skin of her neck.  She closed her eyes against the touch and sighed contentedly.  The sun burned brightly high above them, a blazing pale yellow orb stuck in the mass of blue.  A canvas of flowers were blooming everywhere, a throng of bright reds, oranges, yellows and violets.  Their sweet aroma made her smile, taking in the beauty of nature.  Days like this were sometimes the only thing that managed to convince her that there was some good left in this world.

            009's smooth and alluring voice broke her thoughts, "We've got a ways to go, do you want me to carry your bag for you?" 

            His voice drifted from his lips like nectar, the words making her insides melt and her knees weak.  Probably the most potent of all of his enticing features was his voice.  It had the ability to give her butterflies just hearing it.  Still, she felt as if he had no idea of just how compelling and intoxicating he really was.  Through all this she barely managed to answer him, something in the back of her mind drawing her back to reality, "No, it's fine.  I packed very little so it's really quite light," they continued conversation, laughing and joking as that little something in the back of her mind continued to tug on her senses.

            Two gruff looking men sat on top of an old brick building, the location of a long abandoned construction site.  One of the men was portly and short, sitting back against a rusted air vent, stuffing his face with fast food as the other tall skinny man worked hard pushing a metal beam into place over the edge of the roof.  

            "There!" he said, falling backwards in fatigue, "It's all set, all we have to do is wait for them to walk through this alley and push it the rest of the way over," closing his eyes, he smiled and folded his arms back behind his head, "And that will mean two less renegade cyborgs."

            The other man finished what he was eating and leaned towards the other man, "Why can't we just corner them and bring them in to Black Ghost alive so they can be reprogrammed and used to our advantage?" he asked.

            "Because," the skinny man started irritably, "If we do that and fail, than the cyborgs will know Black Ghost is behind it.  THIS way, if we should fail, they will have no idea that it was all planned.  I mean look around; they will probably just figure it was an accident.  This place is a death trap as it is."

            An evil grin spread across the fat man's face as everything clicked together in his mind, "Goodbye 00 cyborgs."

            As they continued walking, the buzz in the back of 003's mind got stronger and stronger.  Ignoring it, she chalked it up to lack of sleep and being alone with 009.  The longer they walked on though, the more she had to admit she was enjoying herself.  009 was proving to be the best of company and she couldn't remember a time when she had laughed anywhere near this much.  It was great to be able to forget her troubles and to just enjoy someone's company for once.  The temperature outside was rising steadily as the sun rose higher and higher in the sky and she could hardly wait to get into the shade.  She stopped as they walked by a dark and – more importantly – shaded alleyway.  

            Noticing that she stopped, he also came to a halt and looked back to see what the problem was.  When she didn't speak up, he started towards her to see what she was so fixed upon, "What's going on 003?" when all he saw was a dark alley, his brow furrowed in confusion, "It's just an alley . . .what's the big deal?"

            She turned to him and started to fan herself, "Oh it's just that it's so hot out and this alley is the only shade for a great while and I'm positive it leads back to the main road, in fact it's probably a lot shorter than the way we're planning on walking anyway."

            Stepping back a little he studied his surroundings, "Gee 003, I don't know, it doesn't look very safe," truth be told, this alley gave him the creeps, something about it just didn't feel right.  But only when her pleading eyes locked with his did he know he was unable to deny her anything that she truly wanted, " . . .but I guess we can go this way."

            Her eyes lit up at his words and, not thinking, she jumped up to hug him, throwing her arms around his neck.  His eyes flew open as he let his arms encircle her.  As she drew back, a warm blush spread over her features as she realized what she had done.  He smiled; forgetting the eerie vibes completely at her touch, and with a new confidence, took her hand and started down the alley.  

            As they walked on, he was surprised that she didn't shy away from him.  Her hand was soft and warm and he felt like he could hold it forever.  Little did he know that she felt the same way, yet the gesture was so innocent he was convinced that she found it only friendly.  Despite being completely entranced by her touch, a sense of dread grew on him with every step.  He had managed to ignore it but as they started past an old abandoned construction site, the feeling doubled and pulled at his mind.  Trying to shake it off, he walked on, only stopping when he heard a noise, sort of like metal scraping against metal.  His head shot up, only to see a large metal beam hurtling off the top off a building and right towards 003.

To Be Continued . . .


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Cyborg 009

Author's Note: All right, I'm pretty sure where I'm going with this story but I might have a little trouble actually _writing _it out . . . so I'm going to try as hard as I can to get this one out because I have two new ideas for 003/009 stories that I just can't wait to get out there so hopefully I can work this story out as fast as I can.  I don't know if I like how this chapter came out.  It might be a little OOC but oh well, enjoy.

            "Acceleration Mode!" there was a zip and a gust of wind and he was gone, 003's hand fell limp with nothing there to hold it and as she turned to see where 009 had gone to, she felt firm arms around her, pulling her through the alley at an inhuman speed.  She experienced great whiplash as 009 pulled out of acceleration mode, holding her back tightly against his chest.  As she went to speak, her words were silenced by an enormous crash; metal scraping against metal, bright sparks from the friction.  She looked on wordlessly, where about fifty yards away a large metal beam collided into the ground, a mix of metal and gravel spewing everywhere.  Tilting her head upwards, she caught a glimpse at a gaping 009.  Looking back again to what was almost her, she couldn't stop tears from rising in her eyes.  Even against all she had been through, this still shocked her, it wasn't that she was actually scared as much as just . . . a little shaken up.  009 felt her sharp intakes of breath against his chest as she started to cry.  He locked his arms around her and pulled her against him gently but swiftly.  Her sobs became smaller just seconds later and she began to hiccup.  Seeking comfort, she turned slowly in 009's arms and buried her head in his chest, calm encircling her at the smallest tough from him.  Flattening his hands against her back, he felt like crying himself.  Seeing 003 almost decked by a metal beam scared him as much as it had scared her.  He couldn't even begin to imagine what he would have done if she had been hurt, or even killed.  The thought of this just made him hold on to her tighter, as if he kept her in his arms, he could personally ensure no harm ever came to her.

Rubbing her back softly with one hand, he let his chin rest against her forehead, buried in her soft golden hair.  Tilting his head down, he pressed his lips against her forehead lightly but tenderly, "It's all right now, you're safe," he whispered half to her and half to himself.  He felt her choke down the last of her tears, sighing deeply and contently as her crying ceased and he sensed her body's tension release completely.  For a second, he almost worried that she had passed out until he felt her small hand pull a little at his shirt before letting go again, sort of ensuring herself that he was really there before letting herself slip into slumber.  Looking down at her, he saw her semi puffy eyes closed in content as she slept.  He smiled softly at her innocence before gently lifting her off the ground and soaring into acceleration mode.  

By the time they reached the professor's house, he was surprised that she was still asleep even though it only took them about a half a minute to get there with 009 in acceleration mode.  Not wanting to bother small talk with the professor and Dr. Gilmore just yet, he zipped into 003's room before pulling out of acceleration mode.  Walking slowly to the bed, he laid her down in it as gently as humanly possible.  He was about to walk out, but something in him made him turn back to her, he knelt beside her bed.  Without really thinking, he reached out to touch her hair, hesitating, he stopped in mid air.  Getting up again, he scolded himself for acting without thinking.  As he thought of it, he realized he had been doing a lot of that lately.  He could hardly count all the occasions where he had gotten lost in the moment, not heeding the possible consequences of his actions – holding her hand, kissing her forehead, and several more; innocent, yes, but for how long?  He had to stop this before things got out of hand.  Turning, he saw her sleeping peacefully and his feelings of upset melted away.  Kneeling by the bed once again he wondered how a cyborg was capable of such emotions.  Despite his inner warnings, he let himself touch her hair, taking up the strands in his fingers and brushing them out of her entrancing emerald green eyes.  The contact was so gentle and beautiful but he frowned thinking of how inside his fingers stroking her hair, was just wires and metal; metal like the beam in the alley, metal that nearly killed them both.  

He sighed deeply and picked himself off the floor, making his way slowing to the door, as to not disturb her.  Getting to the door, he went to reach to the door handle, hoping no one would see him coming from 003's room, but before he could leave, he was interrupted by a small, sleepy voice.

"009?" he grimaced slightly and turned to see her trying to sit up in bed.  Her eyes were barely opened and still a little puffy from crying.  Slowly, bits of emerald green peaked out from under her swollen lids.  When she saw him, bits of realization floated into the sea of emerald, "Y-You," she started, sleep still present in her voice, "You saved my life."

Propping himself up against the door, he smiled, "What can I say?  I owed you one."

Managing to pull herself from bed despite being as tired as humanly possible, she made her way slowly over to him, images flashing through her mind.  If it weren't for him, she would be horribly injured right now, if not dead.  She reached up and put her arms around his neck, swallowing hard as she looked up at him, "Well, it looks like I own you one now," she said, as she started to lean in towards him slowly.  To his surprise, he found himself doing the same, that is, until they heard the creak of the door swinging open.  They could both hardly bring themselves to look and 003 buried her red face deep in 009's chest, hiding her embarrassment.  All she heard was 004's smooth and sarcastic voice questioning, "What is going on in _here_?"

To Be Continued . . .


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Cyborg 009

Author's Note: All right everyone, I have recently read just about the greatest 003/009 fic ever written not to mention best Cyborg 009 fic in general.  If anyone out there is looking for a good 003/009 fic or just a plain old great fic then I strongly recommend you read it, Hell, I strongly recommend you read it anyway.  It's called "SUNSET DANCE INTO DARKNESS Black Ghost Revived" by the very, very talented writer, GoldAngel2. 

Someone left a review saying that 003's eyes are blue, and I've noticed that a lot of stories describe her eyes as blue, but I swear on my mother they are deep green.  I don't know if there's something wrong with my eyes or with my TV, but they are in fact, GREEN.

Also, to SaisaishiDragon: Shizuru?  Kurama?  Who are they?  Are they from InuYasha or something?  I don't watch any anime besides Cyborg 009 and Digimon.  I would honestly love to oblige you but I have never heard of those people.  And, of course, best of luck on your story!

         The door creaked as 004 pulled the door open the rest of the way.  Standing behind him, was a very amused Dr. Gilmore, Professor Kazumi, and 002.  Mortified, 009 and 003 slowly and reluctantly pulled away from each other, crimson coating each of their faces.  003 was humiliated standing there in front of them.  She shouldn't have come on to 009 like that in the first place and now she was paying for it.  009 glanced over at 003.  With her head lowered, he knew that she was horribly embarrassed.  Knowing it was his fault he wished this had never happened.  Dr. Gilmore stepped in front of his fellow spectators, looking not nearly as entertained as the rest of them, "All right everyone, there's nothing left to see here," he started, turning back to 009 and 003 he raised his eyebrows, "And I'm sure there never _was _anything to see here and that this is all just a really _big_ misunderstanding."

         004 and 002 made themselves scarce, moaning and groaning at being intentionally excluded.  Dr. Kazumi, winking back at a still red 009 and 003, turned, shutting the door behind him leaving Dr. Gilmore, 009, and 003 alone in 003's room.  What they didn't know though, despite the acute hearing of both the cyborgs was that 002 and 004 were both sitting at the door listening, picking up on every word, disregarding the look of amused disapproval on the professor's face, intending completely to fill their fellow cyborgs in on every single detail.   

         Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, 003 sat on her bed and 009 in the chair in the corner as Dr. Gilmore paced, obviously deep in thought.  Finally, he stopped, looked them both over and continued, "So, what _was_ going on?"

         009 and 003 exchanged glances quickly before 009 stood, prepared to talk despite his need to avoid conflict.  One glimpse into 003's worried, and slightly scared eyes was enough to convince him to throw himself into any situation, despite the consequences, "Well," he started, trying to figure the best way to explain, "On the way home from the restaurant, we decided to take a back alley to get out of the heat and we ended up walking by a broken down construction site and I guess something broke loose and this metal beam almost crashed into the both of us so I accelerated and saved both of us but when I came out of acceleration mode, 003 had fainted from the shock, so accelerated and brought us both the rest of the way home.  I didn't want to have to stop and explain things so I just brought her into her room, but by that time she had already woken up and that's when 004 walked in."

         Dr. Gilmore stood back a bit taking everything in, confusion painting his features, "A metal beam eh?"

         009 couldn't tell what he was thinking but he nodded his head slowly but without a second thought at the doctor's query.  

         He stood from where he had sat during 009's explanation and raised an eyebrow inquisitively, "And did you see anyone else there in the alley?"

         009's brows furrowed in confusion as he wondered what Dr. Gilmore was getting at, "No I don't think so, did you 003?"

         She shook her head no, and the doctor sighed, "I don't know," he started, "A metal beam dropping out of the sky doesn't seem like something that happens regularly, are you sure you didn't notice anything out of the ordinary?"

         009 shook his head again not wanting to prolong the attention brought to his and 003's situation despite his everything within him screaming to comment on the feeling of dread and trepidation that had filled him when as they had made their way through that alley.  

         "No," to both of the men's surprise, 003 stood now with a fire in her eyes, "No," she said again, stronger, "009 is lying, he had a really bad feeling about that alley, and to be honest, I had an even worse one," 003 wondered what she had just done seeing as 009 failed to mention what had really happened.  

         Dr. Gilmore sighed hard and rubbed his temples.  As he turned to face them again, the dark bags under his eyes seemed more visible, if it were possible, "I was hoping this wasn't going to happen, but if this attack was in fact intentional, I think we all have a pretty good idea about who's behind this."

         003 gasped and sat back down on the bed, wishing it wasn't so, but knowing it was true if it had indeed been deliberate.  009 walked over to her and started rubbing her back unconsciously, "Dr. Gilmore, I know it seems like it was intended, but I can assure you, Black Ghost has isn't behind it," he started mostly for the reason that he didn't want to believe it himself, "I'm sure it was just an accident, that construction site was a disaster waiting to happen.  It probably collapsed on itself shortly after we left."

         Raising an eyebrow at the young cyborgs proclamation, Dr. Gilmore didn't know why he was so insistent that it was merely an accident but he figured he should trust him, for now, "I believe you," he started, " And I'm not going to make any more of this matter 009, but for the lives of us, I just hope you're right."

         After Dr. Gilmore had treaded wearily from the room the events that had happened prior to 004's interruption flooded into their minds.  009 turned to close the door, sighing at 002 and 004 sprawled across the floor from the door being dislodged.  002 and 004 jumped to their feet brushing themselves off.  004 painted an innocent grin on his face while slightly shoving 002 forward, not wanting to explain their compromising position.  

         002 grimaced and straightened, hands on his hips, smiling, "Hey 009 I'm glad I caught you, me and 004 were handling a-a- a um pest problem, hence why we were on the floor and um you didn't happen to see a mouse run through here, about this big," he managed, holding his hands a small distance apart to signal the alleged size of the nonexistent rodent.

         009 looked over the pair, both of them grinning madly, "No, I didn't and no, there was nothing going on with me and 003, that's just, it's just ridiculous."

         Looking disappointed, 002 and 004 trudged away, 009 turned to 003 and was surprised to see her, head down, gaze fixed on the floor despondently.  It was only then that he had realized what he had said about him and 003 being together, "Look 003-" he started, before her small voice interrupted him.

         "No, 009, it's ok, we were both caught up in the moment," she got up, her shoulders slouched and walked to the door, stopping the doorway where he was positioned against the frame, "It was truly – ridiculous."  

         He couldn't bring himself to speak as she walked away.


	6. Chapter 6

[ D i s c l a i m e r ] nope

[ A u t h o r' s N o t e ] I'm really sorry for the delay… I hope people are still reading this story. It would be really nice if everyone who read this would leave a comment, constrictive criticism, anything – especially if you would like to see this story continued. I would like to thank everyone who reviews, I'd like to list you all but there's so many. A special thanks to anna-angel2, your review is what really got me to write this chapter. I think it's really cool that you're reading and liking this story even though you hardly speak English. Thanks. And as always, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.

.

.

.

.

.

.

The two thugs stood in silence, staring sullenly at the pile of collapsed metal at their feet. Plopping down, the stout one sighed in disgust, "Whadda we gonna do now, boss? You know what Black Ghost does to people who fail. If he finds out about this, we're dead," he said, bringing a finger across his throat in an overly dramatic gesture.

"Oh please," retorted the other, slapping his hand away from his throat, "We'll be lucky if that's all he does to us," he kicked a stray piece of metal in blind anger, letting his hands rest on his hips, bowing his head in frustration.

His tubby companion hobbled to his feet, holding his dirtied hat against his chest with his sooty hands, "Well, think a' somethin' boss, I ain't ready to go yet! I ain't ready to go!" he fell to his knees sobbing, tears cutting tracks into his dirt caked cheeks.

The taller one rolled his eyes in annoyance and waited for his stout companion to finish. When he kept blubbering and sniveling, his hands covering his face, he felt anger swell up in him and he slapped his hands away, yanking him up by the shirt, "Will you shut up!?" he snarled. The stout man looked at him with wide, glossy, eyes that held the expression of a rebuked child. He sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve. The tall man sneered in disgust and through the plump thug aside, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked away and a disgusting smirk spread over his wrinkled and dirt encrusted face.

"You just gave me an idea."

.

.

.

.

She sat alone in the grass, her knees pulled up to her chest. Sighing, she suspected she had been sitting there for hours. Burying her head in her knees she wondered why she felt this way. Her chest was tight, her head hurt and she decided she would have felt better if she had been tied to the back of a car and dragged across the Sahara. She wondered if she had ever felt worse. For so long she had sat and thought about her life and where it was going. Who was she going to spend the rest of her days with? What was going to happen next? What did she have left? Did she have anything left? She contemplated just ending it all. Why did her life have to be artificially prolonged? Would her soul ever rest? Why was she asking all these questions? 

And yet she knew the answer. With a few words he could change her entire mood, her entire day, her entire life. Everything about him was mesmerizing to her. His eyes, his voice, his personality, how he cared about her and would never let anything happen to her. She wondered if there was anyone else in this world that cared about her in the way that he did. For him to say that them together was ridiculous was like a stab in the heart, and she was feeling nothing short of just that.

She had been a fool for trying to kiss him; she reprimanded herself for the umpteenth time in the last hour. What had she been thinking? Ridiculous indeed. She was a cyborg. Built to be a ruthless killing machine. Her insides were made of metal and wires, not flesh and blood. But where did these feelings come from? The urge to care and love and be loved.

She was sick of crying, sick of being sad, sick of wanting to be loved in return. Bolting upright, she rubbed the tears from her eyes defiantly. She decided firmly that she would not let her emotions have any bearing. They were silly things, emotions, and as a killing mass of metal she was simply out of place having them whatsoever. And when she saw 009, she would smile, and wave and keep walking. Just keep walking. And forget.

Starting towards home, she could feel the newfound power she'd given herself coursing through her. She was strong and she could do this. She didn't need anybody, she didn't need emotions, she didn't need love. All she had to worry about was herself now. Just keep walking, she told herself. Just keep walking.

By the time she reached home all the windows were darkened. She hoped no one was still up, worried about her. If someone decided to ask her why she had been out at night crying, it would be hell to explain herself out of it. Sliding the door open, she peered in and assured herself no one at all was up, and if they were they weren't in the living room or the hall leading to her room so she had no reason to worry.

Tiptoeing to her room, she slid her coat off of her shoulders and tossed it on a nearby coat rack. Reaching her destination, she opened the door with a flourish and quickly shut herself inside the pitch-dark room. Despite the inadequate lighting the room, the events of the day still flashed back in her head. She saw the scene unfolding right before her very eyes, standing right in the place that it had happened. 

She shut her eyes tight and fought off tears. Just keep walking, she told herself. Moving to her vanity to escape her thoughts, she quickly removed the headband from her hair and shook her hair out in cascades. Just when she thought she was all right and had calmed, she glanced slightly at her vanity mirror and saw the reflection of the door. She snapped her eyes shut and slammed her headband down on the vanity to fight off the intruding memories.

Her body trembled but she would not let a tear fall. Grasping the sides of the vanity with a death grip she felt her built up resolve start to falter. She couldn't let it happen. She couldn't break after an hour if she ever wanted to live her life this way. She had to be strong. And she had to do it without 009. A whimper escaped her lips.

Before she could figure what was happening she felt two strong arms come from behind to encircle her waist. A face buried in her hair, breath warm against her neck. She knew who it was.

"009," she breathed, attempting to sound stern and professional, but it came out more as soft, yearning whisper.

He buried his face deeper in her neck in acknowledgement, his warm, comforting arms tightening around her small waist. He took in the moment, trying to memorize what it felt like to hold her in his arms, learning all of her dips and curves. He felt so horrible for what he had said to her earlier and he wished he could take away all the pain he'd caused her with a single touch. But he knew it would never be that easy. He wished he could just hold her like this forever, ensuring no harm ever came to her, that she would always be safe within his embrace.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, his lips practically brushing against her neck as he spoke. It felt like heaven, what he was doing to her, but she couldn't give in. She tried as best she could to straighten her back. Just keep walking. Just keep walking. Just keep walking…

"Please, 003? Will you forgive me?" his voice was like velvet and she could feel the vibrations from it flow through her body. Waiting for an answer, his shallow breaths teased the sensitive skin at the base of her neck. No, she told herself, just keep walking. Just. Keep. Walking.

"Yes," she breathed, almost dreamily, "I suppose I have to forgive you, I still owed you one."

She felt him smile against her neck. And in a second, he was gone.

.

.

.

.

As he watched the two silhouetted figures embrace, the tall man smirked and let out a nasty laugh. Stepping away from the window carefully, remembering the power of the 00 cyborgs, the lanky man shoved his hands in his pockets and sneered, "Exactly as I expected," he scoffed.

The stout man's eyes darted from the gangly man to the window and back again, "W-What boss?" when he was met with haughty silence, he scrambled to his feet, "What? What happened in there boss?" his curious eyes focused again on the window and he clumsily ambled over to it. He soon realized he was too short to see into it so he began to try hop up to get a view. He was met with so such luck. Becoming aggravated, he jumped a final time and tried to get a grasp on the windowpane to pull himself up.

In a half a second there was a sickening shattering sound. A gasp escaped the tall man. His stouter companion though, just stood there in a dumbfounded shock, the moonlight glancing off a thousand pieces of splintered glass, the sound of it bursting still ringing in his ears.

A distinctly female gasp was heard from inside the room jolting the two men from their comatose-like state of disbelief. The taller man hissed in displeasure, not willing to risk being heard talking and grabbed the portly man's arm roughly, dragging him to his feet and away from the house. Together they ran frantically through the forests surrounded the small house, not bothering to stop to see if they were being followed. Thinking of the acceleration powers of 009, the tall man pressed on faster, ignoring the small branches whipping against his flesh and the dead weight of his partner behind him.

After a few minutes, the trees and branches began to thin and the tall man grinned as he could see the outline of a car not so far on the horizon. A whimper of relief escaped his chubby companion. 

When they finally reached the clearing, it took them mere seconds to scramble into the vehicle and speed off down the dirt road, dust clouds billowing behind them.

There was a stunned silence in the car as it flew down the road. The stout man's mouth still hung open and his companion could not even manage his usual grimace. Neither of them opened their mouths even slightly until they had been driving for a good hour, almost as if they were still scared that someone would hear them and hunt them down. 

When they finally came to a stop, the tall man let his arms loll down limply to his sides, his eyes glazing over. After a few seconds he let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. Slowly he turned in his seat, coming to glare fiercely down at the small man next to him, his eyes flashing with anger, his fist rising on it's own accord.

"What in the world were you thinking?!" he roared, his fists raining down on the stout man, "You could have gotten us killed! You could have gotten us bloodied, massacred, tortured to death! Is that what you wanted? Is it, huh? You are without a doubt the most dim-witted, fat-faced, waste of skin that I ever met in my entire life! And another thing-!"

The chubby man was now sobbing uncontrollably. His face was red and tears rolled down his plump cheeks in waves, "I-I'm sorry, boss! This is all my fault! I-I'll make it up to you I swear! Please, please just forgive me please boss! Please!" 

The other man just slumped down in his seat, his eyes gazing lifelessly forward at the dashboard, breathing shallowly, "It doesn't matter. They know, they must know. And they're going to hunt us down," his voice cracked, "We might as well have walked right up to Black Ghost himself and told him we failed our mission."

Looking up at him in surprise, the stout man grabbed his thin arm and forgot momentarily about the tears still burning tracks down his face, "No, boss, there's gotta be something we can do! Anything! There's gotta be… there's gotta be…" as no response came from the other man, his words broke down again into choked crying.

An evil smile spread across the man's thin, bony face as he shook off his partner's hand, "Well, maybe there is something…"

.

.

.

.

She sat on her bed in a disturbed tranquility, her face hollow with eyes looking expressionlessly forward. Her arms were crossed tightly across her chest and she shuddered, but not from the cold. Slowly, she drew her knees to her chest and grasped them as if for life, her gaze not faltering. She looked so distressed, so withdrawn, having been through this so many times. Having relived the same story over and over again. Thinking for the millionth time it was safe to let her guard down. Regaining enough trust in life to live without worry. Again and again her hope was shattered, her trust was raped. But every single time it came back to her, and she welcomed it with open arms. Silently, he wished he could be as simple and trusting as her, living as calmly with the infinite hope of a child that has never seen hurt. To everyone else, she was hope. No one else knew what she was really going through that second. But he knew. He had seen it. He had seen her cry that night in the alley. He had seen her bright green eyes fade to a lackluster gray as her quietly built up reserve broke down. She had been through too much in her prolonged life and he wished to himself more than anything that he had the power to take her away from it all. He longed to hold her, to take her in his arms right then and there and comfort her and love her and tell her he would never let anything happen to her ever again, because he knew she would believe him. She had huge heart, the heart of a child, pure and innocent and beautiful, and he loved her for it. 

Peering around at all the empty faces in the room that glowed pale like the faces in paintings in a dark hall, he held himself back from running across the room and sweeping her off her feet. He loved her, he knew, but he wasn't ready to tell even her, not to mention a house full of his companions. So instead he shook his hair into his eyes and stared dejectedly at the knots in the wood floor, hoping that not looking at her would help his resolve. 

"…And did you see what happened 003?" a pajama clad Dr. Gilmore asked. It was in the wee hours of the morning but his mind and mouth were still sharp as a tack. 009 didn't blame him after everything they had all been through together.

003 still stared at the wall in front of her, eyes glassy, "No, Dr. Gilmore. All I heard was the glass breaking and that woke me," she closed her eyes and shook her head, "I didn't make it to the window fast enough to see who, or what did it."

Dr. Gilmore leaned back on his heals and scratched his chin in reflection. As a thought occurred to him, his eyebrows knit together and a look of concentration waved over his features as he weighed something carefully in his mind. He was about to speak again when he was interrupted. 002 burst away from the sea of blank faces and raised his fists in anger, "Enough talk!" he shouted, seemingly shattering the silence that had blanketed the room, "I think we all know who's behind this! Why are we just sitting here! They are getting away as we speak!"

Dr. Gilmore looked as though he was going to interrupt but let 002's anger burn itself out before responding, "So what you're saying is," he paused, his expression pained, "That you think Black Ghost did this?"

002 answered with silence. Lowering his fists, he stepped back as if to try and quell the ripples in the room's atmosphere that he had just created. He hung his head to the side.

Nodding, the doctor brought his hands together behind his back before straightening. His eyes scanned the room and for just a half a second the shine faded from his eyes and weariness and fatigue became apparent in them. Masking it quickly, he resumed his pacing, "That is a very serious accusation, 002."

004's eyes darted from a dejected looking 002 to Dr. Gilmore and back. The anger that had just recently faded out of 002 seemed to overtake him, "Honestly, doc, who else would have done it? We can't just sit around pretending like Black Ghost had absolutely nothing to do with this. People's lives are on the line here. _Our_ lives are on the line here!"

009's eyes were still on the floor, his arms crossed casually against his chest. The conversation got more heated as simple logic and disbelief battled each other fiercely. Hearing a sound, 009's eyes shot up from the floor. It was a whimper, a tiny whimper. 003's face was buried in her hands and down her cheeks strode silent tears. Something inside 009 snapped in two. He couldn't bear to watch her like this, he wouldn't. Watching her cry like this was breaking his heart over and over again. An unknown feeling surfaced in his chest. A feeling of rage, an urge to kill, one unlike any he had ever felt before. It swelled within him and clouded his vision. He would face off against a thousand Black Ghosts with his arms tied behind his back to get her to just stop crying. 

His thoughts became muddled. All he heard was anger; anger was all around him, in his ears, in the walls, and swelling up in his heart. He stepped forward, his fists clenched, speaking in an unfamiliar voice, as if he wasn't the person that was talking, the fury laced in his calm words scared even himself as he talked, "No, Black Ghost isn't behind this," he dived into the argument head first, and everyone around him looked at him in shock, a still tearful 003 peering up from her hands, "I know Black Ghost didn't do this. I know because I took care of him myself with my own two hands. And even if he weren't dead why would he risk contact with us just to break 003's window? It doesn't make any sense. It was probably just some petty thieves."

The occupants of the room found truth in his statements and lowered their eyes to the ground in shame as he continued, "Now look at us fighting! Look at us breaking down friendships that we've built up over so much time, and over what? Over this?" he knelt down and swept the splintered glass from the floor and into his palm, "Over some broken glass," he paused for effect and let the fragments slip from his fingers. The deafening ring of the glass hitting the floor tore into the complete silence of the room, "We're all on edge. We're all on edge because we think that Black Ghost really being gone is too good to be true. But no!" he felt the heat of angry tears burn at the sides of his eyes, "No way in hell am I going to let Black Ghost to any more damage to us than he already has! No more hurt, no more fights!" his eyes flashed over 003, "And not one more tear is going to be shed over Black Ghost as long as I am alive!"

People murmured in agreement and gradually wafted out of the room. Even 003 stopped crying and joined everyone in the living room. But all 009 heard was silence, silence and more silence. And he saw nothing, nothing but the white light of his rage burning in his eyes. 

He didn't notice Dr. Gilmore approach him after everyone had vacated the room, "009," he started, his tone soft and understanding and upon hearing it 009 had no choice but to let go of his anger, "009 what you said makes a lot of sense and it might very well be the truth. But the point is, why did you say it? I know you want to protect her more than anything but ignoring something in hopes that it will just go away will only get you in a hole you won't be able to dig yourself out of. You can't hide anyone from the world and from hurt and pain and sadness. These things are horrible but they are part of life," he stopped a minute and rubbed his eyes, finally letting out the exhaustion that had been quietly showing itself, "Now, 009, this is the second time you have adamantly denied Black Ghost's involvement in recent goings-on. And I'm going to trust you, but I want you to deeply consider what you and I both know what will happen if you are wrong," he went to leave, but stopped at the doorway and turned back one last time to 009's still unmoving figure, "If you try to take away pain, you'll only end up with more of it. Goodnight 009," and with that, he was gone.

009 was now alone in the dark room, bathed in the shadows of the night. He curled and uncurled his fists in anger. Looking down at his fingers, his features softened and he tilted his head to the side, "I don't want you to cry anymore, 003."

.

.

.

.

.

.

To Be Continued…__


End file.
